Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (Added) has signed a service level agreement (SLA) with Federal Transport Authority – Land & Maritime to facilitate and simplify procedures of issuing final approval for economic licenses.

The SLA was signed at the headquarters of ADDED by Rashid Abdul Kareem Al Blooshi, acting undersecretary of ADDED and Ahmed Mohamed Shareef Al Khouri, director general of the Federal Transport Authority – Land & Maritime.

The agreement aimed at identifying the common operational framework, governing the relationship between ADDED and the Authority pertaining to all procedures of economic licenses & approvals in Abu Dhabi, besides defining roles and functions of each side to ensure business continuity and the delivery of high quality services.

Under this agreement, both sides shall work to create a working system that guarantee the simplification, facilitation and development of procedures required to obtain economic licenses in the Emirate through the single-window. In which coordination with competent authorities and mutual cooperation is maintained, in order to support initiatives & programs to meet the strategic objectives of Abu Dhabi Business Center.

The agreement includes regulatory appendices to implement the E-connectivity project between ADDED and the Authority concerning the scope of services and the operating system of Abu Dhabi Business Center, in addition to mechanism of collection (document of finance procedures for entities) and channels of communication, schedules of economic activities, technical requirements of the system, Change Management System, and powers of the use of the system.

Al Blooshi underlined that DED is keen to finalize E-connectivity project with all Government Federal & local entities, concerned with adopting the issuance of economic licenses at the level of the Emirate. Intended to simplify and facilitate prefectures by customers, reflecting the concern of the DED to enhance competitiveness of doing business in Abu Dhabi among international reports.

He also indicated that E-connectivity project between Abu Dhabi Business Center and Government Federal & local entities comes as part of the DED's initiatives and projects which aim to provide "single-window" services to customers to obtain their trade, industrial and tourism activities.

Al Khouri said that the authority is keen to support initiatives and projects of local departments thereby realizing its strategic objectives in enhancing the competiveness of the State in doing businesses at regional & international levels.

He also pointed out that the authority is interested in issuing the operating licenses for land transportation companies and the operating cards for vehicles working on federal roads. And among its other activities, it grants initial approvals for some economic licenses whose nature of work requires that.  – TradeArabia News Service